Abstract:

Objectives of the paper:
This research deals with learning practices taking place at university level in order to ensure the improvement of students' linguistic skills. The approach that we use is based on the analysis of teaching and learning French at the University where we develop our activity. The communication skills in foreign languages are among the skills to be acquired by students, in addition to the professional skills of the curriculum. The teaching and learning objectives are aimed at developing students’ oral and written communication skills in general, as well as competences in professional contexts, specific for communication and public relations (in personal, social and educational fields).

Methodology:
As a research method, the article is based on the pedagogical and methodological principles of the competence-based approach and on the action-oriented approach described by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages CEFRL, 2001, 2018). The notion of competence is the central point of these two types of approach and has three components (CEFRL, 2001 : 14-18) : linguistic competences (“include lexical, phonological, syntactical knowledge and skills and other dimensions of language as system”), sociolinguistic competences (“refer to the sociocultural conditions of language use: rules of politeness, norms governing relations between generations, sexes, classes and social groups, linguistic codification of certain fundamental rituals in the functioning of a community”) and pragmatic competences (“are concerned with the functional use of linguistic resources: production of language functions, speech acts”).

Results:
The implementation of the methodological principles mentioned above allowed us to design a method of learning French for communication purposes which can serve as didactic support in the communication fields but also in other linguistic or non-linguistic fields. The students' ability to communicate in French is put into practice by carrying out various language activities focusing on reception, production, interaction and mediation, each one being accomplished orally, in written or both, depending on the objective of the activity. The teaching and learning activities are organized in thematic units corresponding to various fields of reality: presentations, meetings, description of a person, products and services, purchases, travel, accommodation, restaurant, environment, science and new technologies, society and politics, education and training, employment, etc. The language activities are diverse and include three main components: vocabulary, grammar and oral and written production. The practical aspects of the French language are exercised in basic communicative structures corresponding to each thematic unit.
The particularity of this method consists in the introduction of basic communicative structures and models for structuring dialogues and texts allowing the improvement of oral and written communication skills in the foreign language, in various communication situations. The communicative activities described (reception, production, interaction and mediation) are supposed to contribute to the improvement of the students' linguistic skills in order to allow them not only to access higher levels of communication for professional purposes – bachelor’s degree and master’s degree - but also to facilitate the professional integration of graduates.

Keywords:

Practices of learning, foreign language for communication purposes, university level, French language, communicative structures.